How Closely Should You Monitor Remote Employees?

Nowadays, employers can adopt technology to track a remote employee’s every keystroke.

Is your outsourced crew in India spending too much time on Facebook? Do they finish all assigned tasks in the first half of the day, then enjoy an afternoon of fooling around on the internet rather than asking for more work? Are your delivery drivers sticking to their routes? If you’re in trucking, you can even use software to decelerate a truck when the driver gets too close to the vehicle in front of him.

Remote monitoring via technology – also known as telematics — is perfectly legal. Employers can use GPS without their employees’ knowledge in every state. And unless you live in Connecticut or Delaware, you don’t even have to inform your employees you’re monitoring their emails, texts, and other types of electronic communication.

But just because you can do something, should you?
The Big Question

When you use remote employees, the big question is always whether they’re working or not. The answer? Depends on the employee.

It comes down to character and personality. Some people work harder and are more trustworthy than others. They take a lot of pride in meeting deadlines and delivering a quality product.

Nicholas Bloom, a Stanford economist, studied traditional versus stay-at-home employees. He found that the latter group did 13 percent more work.

Then again, you’ll have other employees who pride themselves on scamming the system, putting in minimal effort, and squeaking by. You’ll probably figure out pretty quickly who is who.

You also have to consider the different personalities of your employees. Task-oriented, introverted loners make excellent stay-at-home workers. But gregarious, chatty employees – even those who really want to work hard – may be completely derailed by the isolation of remote work. They’ll be more productive staying in the office.
Selective Monitoring

To keep tabs on employees, telematics is a powerful tool you should absolutely use. But depending on your industry and your employees, how closely you should monitor their movements and keystrokes varies.

For example, say you run an HVAC company. Your GPS system tells you exactly where your service drivers are and for how long. You notice an unexplained 10-minute stop here, a 15-minute stop there every few weeks by a driver who is otherwise top-notch. Should you ask for a detailed account of these stops? No. A good employee deserves a certain amount of leeway. He probably had to use the restroom, get a cup of coffee, or make an important call.

However, if a driver at your HVAC company makes longer and more frequent unexplained stops, you should definitely get to the bottom of it. Maybe he’s having daytime trysts or playing video poker when he should be servicing somebody’s furnace.

Same for remote white-collar employees. Few things will destroy morale as fast as letting a quality employee know you’re tracking every keystroke. If you’re getting the desired work results, a remote employee deserves a few minutes to rest their brain. After all, you’re probably not following your in-office staff around and timing how many minutes they spend at the water cooler or chatting about non-work topics in each other’s cubicles.

In some industries, however, letting employees know you’re monitoring their every move can pay off. For example, if you own several restaurants, your employees are likely to work harder if they know you’re remotely monitoring them.

A study that examined the impact of information technology on employee theft and productivity at restaurants found a 22 percent reduction in theft after servers found out about the new software. At the same time, drink sales rose 10 percent. The study also found that watched workers worked harder.
Monitoring for Rewards

Remote monitoring has a connotation of deterrence and punishment, but it also should be used to celebrate success.

Most telecommuters understand they’re at a disadvantage when it comes to impressing the boss. It’s the in-office staff who are are more visible that usually get promotions and performance-based awards — even if they’re goofing off more than their telecommuting counterparts. Tracking software can therefore be used to compare the productivity of remote employees with the accomplishments of in-office staff.

Whatever your industry, handle your remote monitoring with finesse. Used correctly, it can improve safety and productivity without destroying employee morale.